POTOSÍ, THE FAMOUS VILLA IMPERIAL OF COLONIAL
SPAIN--ONE OF BOLIVIA’S MOST
PICTURESQUE CITIES
A brilliant past still casts its glamour over the historic city of
Potosí. Romance lingers about its wonderful old palaces, fascinating
in their antiquated style, with their exquisitely carved doorways and
curiously wrought _miradores_. Unwritten history is suggested in
every varying design, and in a thousand indefinable touches of the
elaborate art that constructed them in centuries gone by. Imagination
revelling in the presence of these charming old edifices, pictures
with vivid pleasure the scenes and events of their past, long since
forgotten by the people, except as preserved in many enchanting
traditions. As the traveller rides up the steep, narrow streets,
they appear silent and deserted, except in the main thoroughfare,
where busy vendors exhibit their wares in gayly decorated booths
in front of their little shops, and exchange the gossip of the day
across the pebble-paved _calle_. The scarlet, yellow, and green
_ponchos_, blankets of a gorgeous mixture in hue, and bright
articles of every description, which hang outside the shops, give a
welcome dash of color and warmth to the otherwise rather _triste_,
though wonderfully picturesque, little city at the base of the great
silver mountain. There is an attractiveness about it all which few
cities of the New World possess. A heritage of fanciful legends and
traditions, supported by artistic relics of architectural grandeur and
historic records of daring patriotism, makes the quaint old town rich
in treasure more valuable than the precious metal of its famous Cerro.
There is hardly a house without its tradition, or some story of a great
event which occurred on the spot where it is built.
[Illustration: MONUMENT OF LIBERTY, POTOSÍ.]
In the quaint fashion of the chronicles of the period, it is recorded
in September, 1545, that Captain Villarroel, Don Diego Centeno, and
other Spanish nobles founded the city of Potosí, and that “the building
continued so rapidly the two following years that houses were put up
without digging proper foundations or levelling the streets,” which
is not surprising when one reads that the population increased by
twelve thousand inhabitants during that short time. One of the first
large edifices completed was the cathedral in 1547, the churches of
San Francisco, San Lorenzo, and Santa Barbara being constructed the
following year. The interesting chronicle gives a chapter to the story
of the miraculous arrival at the church of San Francisco, the same
year, of the image of the Holy Christ of the True Cross. To use the
enthusiastic description of the chronicler: “That wonder of sculpture,
that prodigy of marvels, that amazing power of miracles, that true
father of mercies, from which Potosí experiences singular and daily
favors, I say, and I do declare it once for all, the Holy Christ of
the True Cross, appeared in the door of San Francisco, without anyone
knowing whence it came, who sent it, or who brought it hither; it was
found in a box in the form of a cross, and, as I say, without its being
known whence it came or who was the artificer, though it appears not
to have been made by human hands, for it is all a miracle. In this way
was it found, though it is said by some that it was first discovered
in one of the ports of the Indies, with an address on the box which
read ‘for San Francisco de Potosí.’” As stated elsewhere, the literary
chronicles of those days were chiefly the work of the clergy, which no
doubt accounts for the importance given to this event, only one of many
of like character.
[Illustration: THE IMPERIAL CITY OF POTOSÍ.]
[Illustration: CITY HALL, POTOSÍ.]
[Illustration: PICHINCHA PLAZA, POTOSÍ.]
Within five or six years after the city of Potosí was founded, the
fame of the Cerro began to bring fortune seekers and all classes
of adventurers from Europe, while the importance of his Catholic
majesty’s possessions here required that the highest representatives of
the government should be sent to supervise the collection of the royal
funds. Spanish nobles were charged with the management of the royal
treasury and the mint in the new country, and their residence in Potosí
made that city the centre of great display and luxury. Magnificent
palaces were built, special architects being brought from Spain to
superintend the construction, and, in recognition of the importance
of the new city, the Emperor Charles V. bestowed upon it the title of
Villa Imperial de Potosí. In 1565 Philip II. presented the city with a
coat of arms, representing the royal arms of Spain on a silver field,
an imperial eagle; in the middle of this were two castles and two lions
counterpoised; and marking the centre of the royal arms was the great
Cerro de Potosí; the _ne plus ultra_ column appears on each side;
the imperial crown is the crest, and the columns are ornamented by the
Collar of the Golden Fleece. The wealth of the city grew so rapidly
that the extravagance of its citizens became renowned throughout the
world. The most ordinary utensils for household use were made of silver
wrought in exquisite designs. A lady’s gown cost five thousand dollars,
which, three centuries ago, was not the dressmaker’s bagatelle that
it is to-day, but represented a very fine fortune; Queen Isabella was
thought recklessly munificent when she spent twenty thousand dollars
on the fleet that brought Columbus to America. There were some Lucullan
feasts in the city of the Cerro in those days, if the chronicles are
to be relied upon which tell us that gay companies of revellers drank
whole casks of wine at a supper and paid for their patrician taste at
the rate of thirty dollars a bottle. When in 1559 the news arrived that
the Emperor Charles V. was dead, the city became as extravagant in its
grief as it had been in revelry, and the royal obsequies which were
celebrated in the church of San Francisco cost one hundred and fifty
thousand dollars, which the record says “is not surprising, as wax
candles cost twelve dollars a pound.” There appeared to be something
intoxicating in the atmosphere of so much wealth, and the people lived
in an excitement of spendthrift follies that verged on mania.
[Illustration: ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL STREETS OF POTOSÍ.]
[Illustration: STREET SCENE SHOWING CERRO DE POTOSÍ IN THE
DISTANCE.]
Potosí had its astrologers, the same as the European courts in those
days, and when the mines failed to yield their usual amount, or plagues
afflicted the people, as was the case in the sixteenth century, these
wise men were called upon to “read the stars.” The _Anales de la
Villa Imperial de Potosí_ gives an entertaining paragraph from
one of the chief astrologers: “In 1555 the influence of the planets
Jupiter and Mercury dominate Potosí, the latter inclining the people
to prudence and intelligence in their manners and business affairs,
while Jupiter makes them magnanimous and liberal in spirit. The signs
Venus and Libra incline those born in Potosí to be affectionate and
fond of music and feasting, as well as devoted to the acquisition of
wealth and the affairs of gallantry.” Evidently the astrologer knew his
Potosí! Less lenient are the judgments passed upon the pleasure-loving
Spanish nobles of Potosí by some authorities, who condemn their
cruelty to the unfortunate Indians, and their reckless contempt for
all social laws. The mediæval practices of jealous knights, which
were beginning to fall into disrepute at that time in Europe, reigned
in all their intensity in the city of the Cerro, and the priest was
constantly being dragged from his convent, blindfolded and tied,
and taken to the Palacio Encantado of the Knights of Santiago, or
to some other remote and lonely palace to shrive the unhappy victim
of a tragic crime. But those were the darker features of life in
the imperial city, and they gradually faded out as the laws became
better established. The great Viceroy Toledo, who visited Potosí in
1573 did much to advance the well-being of the city and to correct
the abuses of his too powerful countrymen. He ordered the streets
widened and the city divided into separate quarters for the Spaniards
and the Indians. As may be imagined, the viceroy’s visit was the
occasion of splendid _fiestas_, pageants and banquets succeeding
one another for fifteen days without intermission. It was soon after
his departure that the feud between Vascongado and Vicuña began to
threaten the peace of the community, and it developed rapidly into a
terrible war. The Criollos of Potosí joined the Vicuñas, and the last
few years of the century saw many sanguinary battles between the two
forces. Their hatred of each other became a motive of rivalry even
in the _fiestas_. A description of one of these entertainments,
as given in the chronicles of the period, reads like a tale of the
Middle Ages: “The sports began with six days of comedies, eight of bull
fights, three of soirées, two of tournaments and other _fiestas_;
six nights were given up to the masquers, the Potosinos appearing in
magnificent style, their persons and horses covered with jewels and
precious stones. The master of ceremonies for the award of premiums
was Don Francisco Nicolás de Arsans, a Knight of Calatrava, and
grandson of the Duke of Alba, a young man whose income represented
more than five million dollars. On the day of the contest of skill,
Don Francisco, accompanied by forty young nobles, rode into the plaza,
where the spectators were assembled, mounted on a magnificently
caparisoned horse, wearing over his armor a cape embroidered in blue
damask and sprinkled with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds; his plumed
helmet glittered with jewels. In his right hand he carried a lance,
and in the left a shield on which was painted his coat of arms, also
richly jewelled, with the device _Desde el Alba vine aqui_. His
saddle was of finely wrought gold, as were his stirrups, and the bridle
was made of ropes of pearls. His followers, all young scions of the
highest nobility of Spain, among whom were Don Severino Columbus,
great-grandson of the discoverer of America, and Don Nicolás Saúlo
Ponce de Leon, of the ducal house of Arcos, were richly dressed
and rode splendid chargers, which were caparisoned in the same
costly style as that of their leader.” The grandest spectacle of the
_fiestas_ was the parade on the final day. All around the main
plaza, now called Pichincha Plaza, were arranged tiers of seats for
the spectators, who represented the wealth and fashion of what was at
that time one of the richest cities in the world. An enormous fortune
was displayed in the prizes alone, which were borne to the plaza in
a gilded coach drawn by two milk-white ponies, “glittering with the
costly jewels and precious stones that were to be awarded as premiums.”
The procession eclipsed anything of its kind seen nowadays in elaborate
style and costliness. First came twelve arquebusiers in scarlet, then
twelve mousquetaires in Holland cloth bordered with white points, after
which the triumphal car of gilded silver appeared, drawn by eight
black horses, in the midst of which was a dais of silver, surmounted
by a throne of ivory. On the throne was seated the young master of
ceremonies, wearing over his armor a rich Roman toga, bordered in gold,
silver, and precious stones; on his head was a wreath of emeralds,
signifying the laurels of victory; the Cross of the Order of Calatrava,
which he wore on his breast, was of priceless rubies. Following the
triumphal car came twelve cavaliers dressed in dark green, riding
horses of different colors, but all gorgeously caparisoned in gold
and silver. After these horsemen followed the other participants in
the parade, each bearing some symbol or emblem of his profession in
gold, silver, or jewels. Don Severino Columbus appeared with a globe
of silver; young Ponce de Leon, a Knight of Santiago, bore a silver
image of the Cerro de Potosí; and another young nobleman’s exhibit
was a unique representation of the Cerro in an electrical storm, with
the sound of thunder and the play of lightning and hail ingeniously
described. Millions of dollars were spent in these _fiestas_,
the chief object of which was to give the Criollos an opportunity to
break lances with the Vascongados. One of the bitterest fights ever
waged between the rival parties arose out of a tourney between Don
Nicolás Saúlo Ponce de Leon, a Criollo born in Potosí, and Don Sancho
de Mondragon, a Vascongado, for the hand of a beautiful girl, Margarita
de Ulloa, who loved Don Nicolás, but had been betrothed to Don Sancho
against her will. In the tilt, Don Nicolás defeated not only the fiancé
of his beloved Margarita, but also one hundred of his opponent’s
followers successively; after which he seized his beautiful sweetheart,
lifted her to his saddle, and fled with her to Chuquisaca. The story
of the fleeing lovers, the pursuit by the defeated Don Sancho, the
sanguinary duels that followed, and the final successful appeal of the
lovers to the Viceroy of Lima, is one of the most thrilling romances
of colonial Spain. And it is of peculiar historical interest, since
the union of a Criollo with the daughter of a Vascongado resulted in a
later reconciliation between the two parties, at least for a time, and
the Criollo’s triumph had its influence in shaping political affairs in
favor of the party which afterward won the independence of the American
colonies from Spain. As it is seen, a woman had no small share in
bringing about that portentous event.
[Illustration: OLD COLONIAL DOORWAY OF THE MINT, POTOSÍ.]
With the War of the Independence, and even preceding that time, the
riches of Potosí began to decline and the city gradually lost its
magnificence. From a population of more than one hundred and fifty
thousand inhabitants, the life of the silver capital dwindled until
its population became less than it is at present, about twenty-two
thousand inhabitants. But the spirit of the patriotic Criollo never
died out; and in the long War of the Independence some of the bravest
fighters were the Potosinos, who spared nothing to achieve the freedom
of their beloved country. A beautiful story is told by “Brocha Gorda”
of a Potosí heroine who saved the life of the great Bolivar from
a premeditated attack of the royalists on the night of his famous
ascent to the Cerro to plant on its highest peak, nineteen thousand
feet above the sea level, the sacred standard of liberty. Thanks to
her watchfulness and warning, the liberator was enabled to outwit his
enemies and to leave the city without being harmed.
[Illustration: CERRO DE POTOSÍ, OVERLOOKING THE CITY.]
In the early days of the republic the people of the city of the Cerro
played an important rôle in political affairs, and Potosí was the scene
of some of the most notable struggles in the history of the nation.
Near this city the celebrated Argentine general, Don Bartolomé Mitre,
who had charge of the Military College of La Paz under General José
Ballivian’s administration, defeated the revolutionary forces arrayed
against the government, in recognition of which he received a handsome
shield and the title of “Well-deserving of the country in heroic and
eminent degree.” The same distinguished soldier and scholar was later
imprisoned and banished by Belzu, during a period of rapid changes in
government, when Potosí was the chief theatre of revolt. While prefect
of the department, General Campero was seized by the revolutionists
and was only at the last moment rescued from the scaffold, where he
was about to be put to death because at the command of the invading
forces he refused to give up his authority and the protection of the
National Mint. Many of the most celebrated statesmen of the republic
have been natives of Potosí, which gave to Bolivia the famous dictator
Dr. José Maria Linares, the ideal patriot Don Tomás Frias, and other
great leaders. Among its prefects who have contributed not only to the
progress of their own departments, but to the lustre of the national
fame, are such distinguished men as Don Casimiro Olañeta, Don Aniceto
Arce, Don Manuel José Cortés, Don Juan Crisóstomo Carrillo, Don Modesto
Omiste, General José Manuel Rendón, Don Demetrio Calbimonte, and Don
Carlos Torrico, all of whom are known in diplomacy and letters, as
well as for their executive ability. The present _intendente_
of Potosí, Señor Don Luis Subieta S., is a clever writer and an
acknowledged authority on the history of Potosí, to which he has
devoted years of careful study and research.
[Illustration: THERMAL SPRINGS OF TARAPAYA, NEAR POTOSÍ.]
Although the city of Potosí does not display the splendor of the former
Villa Imperial, it has many attractive features, and is, altogether,
extremely picturesque. The ruins of colonial temples and palaces are
marvels of preservation, considering the centuries that have passed
since their construction, one of the most famous being the tower of
the old Jesuit church, known popularly as the Torre de la Compañía. It
was built in 1590, remodelled in 1700 by a wealthy miner, Don José de
Quiroz, who spent a fabulous fortune in works of pious devotion. At his
own exclusive expense, the altar of the Church of Mercy was gilded. He
rebuilt the principal chapel of the convent of San Agustin, constructed
two subterranean vaults and a magnificent altar, and for the rebuilding
of the Jesuit tower he paid more than forty thousand dollars. The tower
is built of stone and is divided into three sections, of which the two
upper ones have seventeen niches for bells and a clock. The tower is
about sixty feet in height, and is adorned on both sides with handsome
columns. The capitals, architraves, and cornices are exquisitely
carved. In the frieze of the entablature is carved in high relief the
inscription “Praised be the most holy Sacrament of the Altar.” In
addition to the Jesuit tower and the marvellously carved doorways of
San Lorenzo and other old temples, the palace of Don José de Quiroz
is hardly less an object of interest, though it has been divided up
into many small houses; and the great stone doorway, above which the
coat of arms of Quiroz, chiselled in marble, may still be seen, now
marks the entrance to a humble bakeshop. The penitentiary in which the
unfortunate Indians were punished, is now a mass of forbidding ruins,
but it serves to recall the stories one has heard of the cruelties of
the _mita_ system.
[Illustration: ARTIFICIAL LAKE OF SAN SEBASTIAN, NEAR POTOSÍ.]
The modern attractions of Potosí consist in its spacious and
picturesque plazas and its public buildings. Plaza Pichincha, which
is a favorite resort at all times, presents a particularly brilliant
scene on feast days. On occasions of religious celebrations the
entire community flocks to the plaza, from which the processions may
be witnessed to the best advantage, as they leave the cathedral.
The centre of the plaza is adorned by a handsome monument erected
to commemorate the Independence. Facing this square are several of
the most important public buildings, such as the City Hall and the
celebrated Pichincha College, which was founded in 1826 by General
Sucre and restored later by General Belzu. It is one of the most
notable edifices of the city. The public library and museum are of
especial interest for the splendid old volumes and several notable
pictures to be seen there. An oil painting of Don Antonio Lopez de
Quiroga, the first millionaire of the Cerro, and founder of the
Franciscan Convent of Potosí, occupies a conspicuous place, though the
position of honor is given to a painting of the Spanish King Charles
III., which was ordered to be executed for the occasion of that
monarch’s acclamation in 1760. Potosí has a social club, entertainments
being given from time to time under its auspices.
[Illustration: COMMERCIAL HOUSE OF BEBIN BROTHERS, POTOSÍ.]
[Illustration: BREAD VENDOR, POTOSÍ.]
On a fine day, when the air is clear and the sky wears a deep,
beautiful blue, such as is seen only at great altitudes where the
variety of the atmosphere gives it a peculiar brilliancy, the most
delightful pastime is a ride on the heights around the city, first, of
course, to the famous Cerro and then to other points of interest in the
neighborhood. Hours may be spent enjoyably in visiting the artificial
lakes, which were built by the Spaniards for the purpose of securing a
constant and permanent water supply for the _ingenios_, and which
are still in use. The enormous scale on which these establishments
were conducted may be judged from the statement that they extended
in a continuous line from the upper part of the city to a distance
of more than a league below it. From the artificial lakes above came
surging down the mountain side the great stream of water, equivalent to
a river in volume, which, after flowing through these _ingenios_
to operate the machinery and wash the metal, was so deeply colored in
transit that it carried a rich red tide all the way to the Pilcomayo,
leagues below, into which it was discharged. The work of building the
lakes was begun in 1574 and completed in 1621 at a cost of two million
five hundred thousand dollars. The first to be finished were those
of the Cerro of Cari-cari, called San Ildefonso and San Pablo, after
which followed San Sebastian, Illimani, and the rest, thirty-two in
all, though only twenty-two remain. The largest of these is Chalviri,
three miles in circumference, and about thirty feet in average depth,
which is filled with water six months of the year and supplies the
city fountains as well as the mining establishments. The lakes are
all located at great altitudes, those of Illimani and San Sebastian
being sixteen thousand feet above sea level, and they are surrounded
by a series of walls, the first of which is of stone, to receive the
shock of the suddenly checked torrent which pours into the lake from
the neighboring summits. The second wall is of clay, the third of
limestone, and the fourth and fifth are of limestone and clay, the
thickness of the five walls being from thirty to forty feet. A system
of ditches connects the lakes with one another, and the water is
brought down to the city through a conduit more than fifteen miles in
length. By the system in use at the present time, each of the lakes has
a sluice which controls the amount of water discharged from it. San
Sebastian is the receiving medium for the water from all the lakes, and
from it the current is carried down to the city, as required.
[Illustration: ARTIFICIAL LAKE ILLIMANI, SIXTEEN THOUSAND
FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL, NEAR POTOSÍ.]
Before the artificial lakes of Potosí were constructed, the problem of
supplying water for mining establishments was brought to the attention
of the Viceroy Toledo, as up to that time it had been necessary to
use the most inadequate machinery, worked by Indians and mules,
in pulverizing the metals. The viceroy, in company with leading
miners, reconnoitred the neighboring country, and decided that the
_quebrada_ of Tarapaya offered the only solution of the question,
as here was abundance of water. Accordingly, the first _ingenios_
were established in this cañon, twelve miles west of the city. The
fame of Tarapaya antedates that of the Cerro de Potosí, its marvellous
thermal springs having been a favorite resort long before the Spaniards
came to America. The principal spring is a deep, round pool, which has
been called the “swallower of men,” because of the many drowned in its
deceptive depths. Maita-Ccapac, when on a visit to the mines of Porco,
stopped at Tarapaya, and first made the spring famous by giving it the
royal favor. He beautified the place, making the spring a perfectly
circular lake, as it remains to this day. The thermal waters in the
vicinity of Potosí are of a very healthful quality, and wonderful cures
have been effected at Miraflores and Don Diego, and other springs.
Potosí is on the direct transportation highway northward and
southward, and by the system of railways under construction it will be
connected with all the chief cities and brought several days nearer
the coast. Then every tourist to South America can visit the famous
Cerro and enjoy one of the grandest sights in the whole realm of
Nature, as unfolded to view from its heights. At one’s feet lies the
quaint old city, with its Spanish _calles_ and its picturesque
_miradores_, its colonial ruins and the more modern edifices,
and beyond, the view appears to stretch to infinity; far away is the
scintillating Cordillera de los Frailes, reflecting the sun’s rays as
if every separate peak were a huge diamond flashing under the strong
white light; nearer are the peaks of the many _serranias_ that
cling like fringe to the great Royal Range. Wherever the gaze is
turned, the vision is a succession of mountain summits, purples, dark
reds, lighter grays, and snow white. There is still another potent
attraction--the kind and hospitable people of Potosí have a pleasant
welcome for all who visit their city.
[Illustration: COAT OF ARMS OF POTOSÍ.]
[Illustration: COROCORO, CENTRE OF THE GREATEST COPPER MINES
IN SOUTH AMERICA.]